Formed July 1, 2005 | Employees 20,000 approx | |
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Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Legal jurisdiction As per operations jurisdiction. General nature Federal law enforcementLocal civilian police | ||
The Federal Police (German: Bundespolizei) is the law enforcement agency of Austria. The Austrian Federal Police were formed in July 2005 as one formal unit of police. Before 2005 the police system operated the Gendarmerie for most of the country, and the Polizei in the heavy city and urban areas such as Vienna, Salzburg and Graz. In 2004 it was agreed by the Government of Austria that these two police forces, along with the criminal investigation service, the public security constabulary, and the security authorities, would all form together to become the 'Federal Police of Austria'. The Federal Police is also responsible for border control.
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Command
The current command structure that the Bundespolizei operates is very simple. The Federal Police is commanded by Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry then delegates to the 9 State Police commands. Depending on the State command, the districts and cities are controlled by either a District Police Command or a City Police Command. These commands then operate through police stations throughout the Province.
The 9 State Police Commands are the same as the general States of Austria.
Firearms
The standard issue sidearm of the Austrian Federal Police is the Glock pistols in 9mm Parabellum. The most common model used are Glock 17 and Glock 19 while EKO Cobra also gain the Glock 18 with full-auto capability for more firepower.
They are equipped with Steyr AUG (military designation: StG 77) assault rifle, Heckler & Koch MP5 or other weapons required for missions. They're also equipped with batons and Pepper sprays for less-than-lethal options.
Vehicles
Along with the new 'Federal Police' structure, a new vehicle livery was established. The vehicles used by the Polizei vary.
Aircraft.
The Bundespolizei have a variety of aircraft including the following they are currently receiving 8 new Eurocopter EC 135's in time for EURO 2008.
Porsche 911 The Austrian Police experimented with the Porsche 911 in order to crack down on motorway speeding. After a six-month test phase the Polizei decided not to order more 911s due to fact that there wasn't enough room to store the needed equipment and they are too expensive.